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THE ABBEY: An Ash Rashid Novel by Chris Culver (Mystery)
Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can't stand the thought of handling another death investigation. That changes when his niece's body is found in the guest home of one of his city's most wealthy citizens. The coroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn't add up. Against orders, Ash launches an investigation to find his niece's murderer, but the longer he searches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly close to home. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE ACCOUNTING by William Lashner (Thriller)
Jon Willing was just a teenager when he and his pals Augie and Ben stole a fortune in drug money. Twenty-five years later, Jon’s marriage is on the rocks, his kids are virtual strangers, and the recession has taken his job and decimated his finances. Worst of all, when he finds Augie murdered in Vegas, he knows the past has risen from its grave to grab him by the throat. The battle that ensues will force Jon to confront the demons of his past. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BAD MONKEY by Carl Hiaasen (Thriller/Humor)
Andrew Yancy has a human arm in his freezer. There’s a logical explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, the sheriff might rescue him from his grisly Health Inspector gig. But first, he must negotiate an obstacle course of wildly unpredictable events with a crew of even more wildly unpredictable characters. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
A BAT IN THE BELFRY: A Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery by Sarah Graves
A horrific storm bears down on Eastport, but one local teen will not live long enough to experience it. When Karen Hansen is found murdered in a local church bell tower, Sam Tiptree's good friend is implicated…which means that his mom, Jake, is on the hunt to discover the truth, even as the wind howls and rain buckets down. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.
THE CARETAKER by A .X. Ahmad (Thriller)
Ranjit Singh, a former Indian Army Captain trying to escape a shameful past, is now a caretaker on the exclusive resort island of Martha’s Vineyard, looking after the vacation homes of the rich and powerful. One harsh winter, he secretly moves his family into the house of one of his clients, an African-American Senator. But when mysterious men break into the house, Ranjit is forced to enter the Senator’s shadowy world, where his only ally is the Senator’s beautiful wife, who has secrets of her own. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
DEADLY HARVEST: A Detective Kubu Mystery by Michael Stanley (Mystery)
When young girls start to go missing, Samantha Khama, a new detective on the Botswana police force, suspects that muti, a traditional African medicine, is the reason. She and Detective David “Kubu” Bengu race to stop a serial killer, all as the father of one of the victims threatens to take matters into his own hands. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DOUBLE DOUBLE: A Dual Memoir of Alcoholism by Martha Grimes and Ken Grimes (Memoir)
People who suffer from alcoholism as well as their families and friends know that while it is possible to get sober, there is no one “right” way to do this. Now, award-winning mystery writer Martha Grimes and her son, Ken Grimes, offer two points of view on their struggles with alcoholism. In alternating chapters, they share their stories --- stories of drinking, recovery, relapse, friendship, travel, work, success and failure. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
A DUAL INHERITANCE by Joanna Hershon (Fiction)
In 1962, two students meet one evening during their senior year at Harvard --- Ed, a Jewish kid on scholarship, and Hugh, a Boston Brahmin with the world at his feet. Ed is ambitious and girl-crazy, while Hugh pines for the one girl he's ever loved. An immediate, intense friendship is sparked that night between these two opposites, which ends just as abruptly, several years later, although only one of them understands why. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE ENGAGEMENTS by J. Courtney Sullivan (Fiction)
As the lives and marriages of four couples unfold in surprising ways, we meet Frances Gerety, a young advertising copywriter in 1947. Frances is working on the De Beers campaign and needs a signature line, so, one night before bed, she scribbles a phrase on a scrap of paper: “A Diamond Is Forever.” And that line changes everything. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
FATHER KNOWS DEATH: A Stay at Home Dad Mystery by Jeffrey Allen (Mystery)
Stay-at-home dad Deuce Winters finds a body among the frozen burgers and bratwurst at the Rose Petal fair’s concession stand. And it seems the defrosting deceased was last seen arguing passionately with one of the fair’s board members. But there may be more --- a lot more --- to the mystery, and tracking down the dangerous truth may be too much for even the most determined dad! Reviewed by Amy Alessio.
FLAT WATER TUESDAY by Ron Irwin (Fiction)
At age 19, Rob Carrey, the son of a cabinetmaker, spent his senior year at Connecticut’s prestigious Fenton boarding school to help the rowing team known as the God Four break its losing streak in the annual Tuesday race against rival Warwick. Fifteen years later, Rob is a documentary filmmaker for National Geographic. When he receives an unexpected letter from a troubled Fenton classmate, Rob is forced to revisit memories he had hoped to forget. Reviewed by Michael Magras.
IF YOU WERE HERE by Alafair Burke (Mystery/Thriller)
Manhattan journalist McKenna Jordan is chasing the story of an unidentified woman who heroically pulled a teenage boy from the subway tracks. When she locates footage of part of the incident, she is shocked to discover that the woman in the video bears a strong resemblance to a close friend who disappeared a decade earlier. This sends McKenna on a dangerous search for the missing woman --- a search that will force her to unearth long-buried truths much closer to home. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
IN THE HOUSE UPON THE DIRT BETWEEN THE LAKE AND THE WOODS by Matt Bell (Fiction)
A newly-wed couple escapes the busy confusion of their homeland for a distant and almost-uninhabited lakeshore. They plan to live there simply, but as their every pregnancy fails, the husband begins to rage at this new world: the song-spun objects somehow created by his wife's beautiful singing voice, the giant and sentient bear that rules the beasts of the woods, the second moon weighing down the fabric of their starless sky, and the labyrinth of memory dug into the earth beneath their house. Reviewed by Josh Mallory.
JOYLAND by Stephen King (Mystery/Thriller)
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, JOYLAND tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub and Tom Callahan.
THE KILL ROOM: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver (Thriller)
The nation's most renowned investigator and forensics expert, Lincoln Rhyme, is drafted to investigate the murder of an American citizen who was targeted by the US government and assassinated in the Bahamas. While his partner, Amelia Sachs, traces the victim's steps in Manhattan, Rhyme leaves the city to pursue the sniper himself. As details of the case start to emerge, the pair discovers that not all is what it seems. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE KING’S DECEPTION by Steve Berry (Thriller/Adventure)
Cotton Malone and his 15-year-old son, Gary, are headed to Europe. As a favor to his former boss at the Justice Department, Malone agrees to escort a teenage fugitive back to England. But after he is greeted at gunpoint in London, both the fugitive and Gary disappear, and Malone learns that he has stumbled into a high-stakes diplomatic showdown --- an international incident fueled by geopolitical gamesmanship and shocking Tudor secrets. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
LADIES' NIGHT by Mary Kay Andrews (Fiction)
Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there? Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life’s unpredictable twists and turns. Reviewed by Jamie Layton.
LOST by S. J. Bolton (Thriller)
Like everyone reading the newspapers these days, 10-year-old Barney Roberts knows the killer will strike again soon. There will be no warning about who will be next. There will be no real reason for Barney’s friend and neighbor, Lacey Flint, to become involved…and no chance that she can stay away. With the clock ticking, the violence escalating, and young lives at stake, Lacey and Barney both know they can’t afford a single wrong step if they hope to make it through alive. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
RED MOON by Benjamin Percy (Thriller/Horror)
When government agents kick down Claire Forrester's front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is. Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive. Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy. The night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge...and the battle for humanity will begin. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
REVENGE WEARS PRADA: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger (Fiction)
Almost a decade has passed since Andy Sachs quit working for Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine. Andy and Emily, her former nemesis and co-assistant, have since joined forces to start a high-end bridal magazine. When she discovers a secret letter with crushing implications, Andy’s wedding-day jitters turn to cold dread. She realizes that nothing --- not her husband, nor her beloved career --- is as it seems. Reviewed by Hillary Wagy.
A SERPENT'S TOOTH: A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson (Mystery/Western)
A Mormon “lost boy,” Cord Lynear is searching for his missing mother, but clues are scarce. Walt Longmire and his companions, feisty deputy Victoria Moretti and longtime friend Henry Standing Bear, embark on a high plains scavenger hunt in hopes of reuniting mother and son. The trail leads them to an interstate polygamy group that’s presiding over a stockpile of weapons and harboring a vicious vendetta. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
SHADOW PEOPLE by James Swain (Supernatural Thriller)
Magician Peter Warlock is a psychic who peers into the future. During a séance, he is confronted by a group of evil spirits called shadow people, beings who have the power to kidnap a person’s soul. The shadow people are connected to a serial killer who Peter must find in real time before he claims his next victim. To save many lives, Peter may have to tap into a legacy that he has always dreaded…and a power that may consume him. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.
THE SILVER STAR by Jeannette Walls (Fiction)
“Bean” Holladay and her sister, Liz, are left to fend for themselves when their mother, Charlotte, takes off to find herself. The girls decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that has been in Charlotte’s family for generations. When school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
STOKER’S MANUSCRIPT by Royce Prouty (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
When rare-manuscript expert Joseph Barkeley is hired to authenticate and purchase the original draft and notes for Bram Stoker's Dracula, little does he know that the reclusive buyer is a member of the oldest family in Transylvania. After delivering the manuscript to the legendary Bran Castle, Barkeley realizes that he has become a prisoner to the son of Vlad Dracul. To earn his freedom, Barkeley must decipher cryptic messages hidden in the text of the original Dracula that reveal the burial sites of certain Dracul family members. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
WAITING TO BE HEARD: A Memoir by Amanda Knox (Memoir)
When Amanda Knox left Seattle to study in Perugia, Italy, she was full of anticipation at the prospect of meeting Italian men, learning the language, and living in a centuries-old city teeming with other students. However, she had no idea that what seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime would turn into a living nightmare that continues to haunt her to this day.
THE WHY OF THINGS by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop (Fiction)
Since the tragic loss of her 17-year-old daughter less than a year ago, Joan Jacobs has been working hard to keep her tight-knit family from coming apart. But she and her husband, Anders, are unable to snap back from their isolation into the familiarity and warmth they so desperately need. So they flee to their summer home in search of peace and renewal, but moments after they arrive, the family is confronted with an eerily similar tragedy. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
THE WORLD’S STRONGEST LIBRARIAN: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne (Memoir)
Although he wouldn’t officially be diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome until his freshman year of high school, Josh Hanagarne was six years old when he first began exhibiting symptoms. By the time he was 20, the young Mormon had reached his towering adult height of 6’7” when his Tourette’s tics escalated to nightmarish levels. Despite undergoing treatments that failed miserably, Josh persevered to marry and earn a degree in Library Science. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
YESTERDAY’S ECHO by Matt Coyle (Thriller)
Rick Cahill was never convicted of his wife's murder, but he was never exonerated either. When he meets Melody Malana, a beautiful yet secretive TV reporter, he sees a chance to love again. When she is arrested for murder and asks Rick for help, the former cop says no, but the rest of him says yes and he grasps at a chance for redemption. However, Rick's attempt to help turns terribly wrong, and he becomes a suspect in the murder and the target of a police manhunt. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.
YOU ARE ONE OF THEM by Elliott Holt (Fiction)
YOU ARE ONE OF THEM is a taut, moving debut about the ways in which we define ourselves against others and the secrets we keep from those who are closest to us. In her insightful forensic of a mourned friendship, Elliott Holt illuminates the long-lasting sting of abandonment and the measures we take to bring back those we have lost. Reviewed by Jennifer Romanello.
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